Discovery 2017

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  • eelpout
    Member Since: 01 Jun 2017
    Location: Don't call it "Cali"
    Posts: 295
    United States 

    2021 reviews

    One from AutoBlog. They seem unhappy about the ride, they don't call it out, but I imagine the 22"s have something to do with it.

    https://www.autoblog.com/2021/06/22/2021-l...rst-drive/

    Edit:

    What Car:
    https://www.whatcar.com/land-rover/discovery/4x4/review/n17342
    (they seem to agree a bit with AutoBlog about the ride and to avoid the 22"s)

    Car and Driver:
    https://www.caranddriver.com/land-rover/discovery


    Last edited by eelpout on 24th Jun 2021 5:32 pm. Edited 2 times in total
  • MAPMA
    Member Since: 22 Jun 2021
    Location: Manchester
    Posts: 45
    England 

    Bigger rims will always impact comfort, thinking or trying to convince ourselves otherwise is just wishful thinking, tyres play a big part in cushioning the ride. They do look the part though. In the end, it's a trade-off each owner needs to decide on. I've ordered mine with 20's and will be looking for even smaller-sized rims if possible, I prize ride comfort in its various aspects above all else, how the car looks doesn't even make top 5 on my priorities.
  • FastLaneJB
    Member Since: 29 May 2021
    Location: Bedfordshire
    Posts: 189
    United Kingdom 

    I've never driven or been in the pre refreshed Discovery to be aware of it's comfort levels, I've seen another review which mentions this as well. In my opinion though the ride seemed fine to me in my test drive.

    I think it's simply because Adaptive Dynamics is now standard where it was an option previously and probably rarely specified. Bit less body roll but also a bit less comfort but I think still more than enough.
  • Road Runner 2017
    Member Since: 14 Jan 2017
    Location: Scotland
    Posts: 2010
    Scotland 
    2018 Discovery Si6 HSE Lux Santorini Black

    Hardly any difference between 20's and 22's in my opinion. Just a slightly harder ride. Main difference is the handling of the car. 20's made car feel like a boat on twisty country roads, whereas the 22's inspired much more confidence as the cornering was alot more precise, composed and flatter. Felt like a different car. (I did a post way back on wheel size). Obviously more tyre wall has more flex, leading to more body roll. The 22's being low profile have far better road cornering, as less tyre wall. Like you say its a toss of the coin, comfort over aesthetics. Saying that, can always get a second set of wheels if need be for offroading purposes or aesthetics. I have seen several RR's with custom 23" or 24" inch rims which look spine shattering. Defeats the purpose a luxury car which runs on rubber bands. Biggest I would go is 22". Anything more your asking for trouble, as the bigger the rim, the weaker the structure. Also if running bigger rims than LR recommend and you have lets say drivetrain issues, your warranty is then void. With regards to the review of the face-lifted cars ride, am very surprised, even with the adaptive dynamics. Maybe the tyre pressures were inflated far too high??

    MY17 First Edition - 3L Diesel Td6 - Farallon Black - Roof rails,side steps,tints,tow bar,mudflaps,door strips.
    MY18 Hse Luxury - 3L Petrol Si6 Supercharged - Santorini Black - Roof rails,side steps,tints,tow bar,mudflaps,door strips,22's,dynamic pack 1,bonnet vents,t.v,dual view,frontcooler,360°camera,rear cooler/warmer,roof vane,black LR badges,wade sensing,door sill plates,boot liner, solar screen,wind deflectors,service plan,tracker,speed camera detector,dual dash cameras,ceramic coating.
  • FastLaneJB
    Member Since: 29 May 2021
    Location: Bedfordshire
    Posts: 189
    United Kingdom 

    I'd only driven with 21's on a test drive and it felt fine to me but maybe the older Discovery is far more comfortable, I don't have that reference point.

    I don't tend to leave my 7 in Comfort or Comfort Plus because of the lean to be honest. It's a bit more soft on the suspension but doesn't feel all that nice on B roads, etc. Adaptive on that car is a nice sweet spot and I think the Disco has gone for a similar approach. It's not a million miles off 7 series comfort in my book.
  • Equilibrium
    Member Since: 26 Feb 2019
    Location: Bristol
    Posts: 754
    United Kingdom 
    2019 Discovery SDV6 HSE Lux Carpathian Grey

    My experience is all pre-facelift:
    3 days in a SD6 SE on 19s (? Whatever is standard)
    4 days in a SD6 HSE on 22s
    7k miles in my own SD6 HSE-L on 21s and adaptive
    2 weeks/1k in a SD6 HSE-L on 22s
    4 weeks/2k in a SD4 HSE-L on 22s
    3.4k in my own SD6 HSE-L on 21s and adaptive

    All MY20 apart from the first two being MY19.

    No question that the adaptive cars handle far better than any other combo, with far less roll and much better control in multiple direction changes.

    The SE had the best ride by far, you cannot combat an increase in unsprung weight and decrease in sidewall depth.

    The cars on 22s rode the worst and noticeably tramlined on the same stretches of M4 that I drove daily in my cars.

    I suspect a 20” wheel would be a sweet spot between ride and looks. My own 21s still don’t ride urban roads as well as I’d ideally like.

    Drives: 2020 MY20 HSE Luxury SDV6 in Eiger Grey/Glacier
    Departed: 2019 MY20 HSE Luxury SDV6 in Carpathian Grey/Glacier, 440i, 320d, Toyotas, Mondeo, Citroen BX amongst others
  • FastLaneJB
    Member Since: 29 May 2021
    Location: Bedfordshire
    Posts: 189
    United Kingdom 

    You've tried a lot of combinations, that's some really good info.

    What I'm unclear of is if the refresh is actually just the pre-facelift with adaptive as standard on all cars or if there's other changes also beyond that.

    As an example I downloaded the iGuide and was looking at that last night. It mentions that the car is rear wheel drive and AWD kicks in if required or I imagine is enabled on some of the drive modes / when low range is selected. I believe that's new but again nothing much mentioned about it anywhere other than I've seen something on the Defender forum about it.
  • Equilibrium
    Member Since: 26 Feb 2019
    Location: Bristol
    Posts: 754
    United Kingdom 
    2019 Discovery SDV6 HSE Lux Carpathian Grey

    It is very unclear exactly what’s changed in terms of hardware and how it’s deployed. Adaptive was the one thing I always banged on about that should have been standard or a necessary box tick (imho). But, yes, would like to know if the change in 4wd behaviour means deeper changes as well. I must try a facelift and see how it compares with my adaptive car.

    In terms of combinations tried, haha, yes, I’ve been through a lot! The first was a straightforward sales loaner. Then when the build of my first car was delayed, the dealer was kind enough to lend me a D5 for a long weekend when I needed something family sized - having already sold my 440i. Then there are two LR assist cars in there. I had one for a couple of weeks, had my own car back for a few days and then back in a loaner for another 4 weeks when it played up again. Then finally a new car for me after rejecting the problematic one. Phew!

    Drives: 2020 MY20 HSE Luxury SDV6 in Eiger Grey/Glacier
    Departed: 2019 MY20 HSE Luxury SDV6 in Carpathian Grey/Glacier, 440i, 320d, Toyotas, Mondeo, Citroen BX amongst others
  • FastLaneJB
    Member Since: 29 May 2021
    Location: Bedfordshire
    Posts: 189
    United Kingdom 

    Yes there's a few nuggets in the manual I've noticed but it's still not all that descriptive. For instance with the MHEV it can turn the engine off under braking if your below 1mph which begs the question... why? That hardly feels worth the development effort but it's there none the less.

    Then I don't know but I believe from reviews the Wade mode is new in the settings and I have a feeling that's to do where it mentions elsewhere you shouldn't switch off the engine when wading yet with MHEV it's more likely to do this at low speeds / stopped. Hence I have a feeling that modes there to mainly disable the auto start / stop. I mean maybe it fiddles with the pedal feel or raises the car but my gut tells me it's more to change how the MHEV system works.

    Be interested if you can get a ride in a new one to get your opinion.
  • MAPMA
    Member Since: 22 Jun 2021
    Location: Manchester
    Posts: 45
    England 

    Really good info, thanks. It's a confirmation from real-life experience that there is no wishing away physics. Very Happy
    It has been widely reported that the face-lift made the Discovery more "car like" to drive. I'm afraid that might have been at the price of a bit of the sumptuousness ride taken away, Just like the wheel size, it's always a compromise.
  • FastLaneJB
    Member Since: 29 May 2021
    Location: Bedfordshire
    Posts: 189
    United Kingdom 

    I was also considering a BMW X7 and on that vehicle you can have a choice of an option called Executive Drive Pro which is their version of this Adaptive Package. I think probably a bit more advanced to be fair but regardless if you look on BMW forums they pretty much all rave about it and say it needs to be specified.

    It can be done in a way where you get a good balance. If they tighten up the suspension in the corners then you reduce the lean but also feel more of the road then on the straights they can slacken it off a bit to give more comfort. Not sure if Land Rover is doing that but believe below a certain speed and in off-road modes it's disabled as your not going fast enough to lean really anyway.

    Too much boaty body roll can make some people feel sick on longer journeys. My wife doesn't like my 7 series on long journeys in boaty mode Smile
  • Equilibrium
    Member Since: 26 Feb 2019
    Location: Bristol
    Posts: 754
    United Kingdom 
    2019 Discovery SDV6 HSE Lux Carpathian Grey

    The X7 I drove for a couple of days didn’t have executive drive pro, but did have 4 wheel steering. Also on 21s iirc. That made it a surprisingly agile feeling thing on roundabouts.

    The X7 wasn’t a comfortable urban drive in some ways though. To my mind, when you are in a vehicle of this size, one of the most risky situations is the sudden appearance/disappearance of small city cars (or worse, cyclists) alongside you, again on roundabouts etc. The Discovery has huge mirrors which make all around visibility excellent, whereas the X7 mirrors seemed sized for a 1-series. It was all too easy to have a feeling of “I’m not sure what’s there/where did that car go?)”. A fairly big black mark for a large vehicle.

    Drives: 2020 MY20 HSE Luxury SDV6 in Eiger Grey/Glacier
    Departed: 2019 MY20 HSE Luxury SDV6 in Carpathian Grey/Glacier, 440i, 320d, Toyotas, Mondeo, Citroen BX amongst others
  • FastLaneJB
    Member Since: 29 May 2021
    Location: Bedfordshire
    Posts: 189
    United Kingdom 

    Yes, I've 4 wheel steering on my long-wheelbase 7 series, it's 5.2 metres roughly so it's actually longer than the X7 is. A very useful feature so I will miss that one though I think the smaller length of the Disco will at least make up for that a bit.

    Actually just looked it up, my current car's turning circle is 12m, Disco is 12.3m so close but not quite as good. Thought the X7 is down as 13m when I look but I assume that's without rear-wheel steering.

    Hadn't considered or well had to deal with vanishing vehicles from driving a large SUV as it's my first one but that makes perfect sense. Don't do too much city driving though thankfully and definitely avoid multistory carparks. Took my 7 series in one once as had no choice and could make the turns on the ramps probably with cm's to spare. I know on some carparks you just wouldn't make it at all. Will have height to add to the issues maybe now as well? Smile
  • Equilibrium
    Member Since: 26 Feb 2019
    Location: Bristol
    Posts: 754
    United Kingdom 
    2019 Discovery SDV6 HSE Lux Carpathian Grey

    I was three pointing a couple of multi-storey ramps earlier today Very Happy

    Height is definitely one to watch, there’s at least one ancient multi-storey here that I can’t take the D5 too. I’ve been in the habit of checking on the web in advance ever since I started driving one.

    5.2m, yes that’s quite a long car! Manageable in most places I guess.

    Width was the one that slightly concerned me in advance, until my test drive and realising that you only have to open the doors a little to step in or out. I’ve actually found it far less of an issue than it was with the 4-series, where low coupe rooflines combined with pretty thick and curved doors made tight spots awkward. The only thing to watch with the D5 is the very long upper part of the rear doors. Only an issue when loading kids in and needing it fully open…or clumsy passengers.

    Drives: 2020 MY20 HSE Luxury SDV6 in Eiger Grey/Glacier
    Departed: 2019 MY20 HSE Luxury SDV6 in Carpathian Grey/Glacier, 440i, 320d, Toyotas, Mondeo, Citroen BX amongst others
  • FastLaneJB
    Member Since: 29 May 2021
    Location: Bedfordshire
    Posts: 189
    United Kingdom 

    Yeah to be honest I was worried getting such a big car but it's been fine for the most part. Sticks out of parking spaces a lot but enough cars do these days that your not the odd one out.

    As you say on occasions I'll research where I'm going if I'm not sure so I know I can park somewhere without issue. Definitely, when I've had smaller cars been in some NCC multistories I just know I'd never really make it around. I think like you get height restrictors on some carparks, you see some with some really tight / twisty entrances where you wonder if you'd get around that without curbing the wheels. I think they are just warning you that the rest of the car park will be just as tight so don't come in.

    Doors hopefully not too big a deal, 7 series ones are big also but as long as I can get in I just sometimes pull out a bit for the misses / kids to hop in to avoid issues. Have once or twice used that cars ability to drive out of a space with you outside it using the key but even that's been really rare.
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